The Reputation Setup
A 6-week foundation for brands that want to stand for something and act like it.
Most teams have values, a story, and good intentions.
Almost none have guardrails for what happens when trade-offs show up, someone’s offended, or a decision goes public.
That gap is where reputations crack. If you’re growing, hiring, fundraising, or becoming more visible, this is the part most teams leave implicit.
This setup turns what you stand for into something usable: decision lines, tone, boundaries, and first-hour basics. So you’re not inventing it live.
Quick facts: 6 weeks · async-first · 1 kick-off + 2–4 sessions · usable system, not a deck
Values only matter when they cost you something.
What this setup actually does
The Reputation Setup does six things most teams never fully make explicit:
Sharpens what you actually stand for
Not aspirational. The real stuff that guides choices when it gets uncomfortable.Sets your speak / don’t-speak boundaries
So you’re not deciding activism, issues, and public positions case by case.Turns values into behaviour
So “this matters to us” becomes something your team can actually do.Builds a story your team can repeatA narrative that works outside a deck, without one founder in the room.
Sets tone under pressure
So you don’t switch personalities the moment it gets sensitive.Gives your team first-response basics
Decision rules + message outlines + “what we do first” so nobody guesses live.
That’s the whole point: reputation becomes usable.
What it is not
This doesn’t replace marketing, PR or campaigns. It comes before them. I’m not here to invent positions or do media outreach. I turn what’s already inside your company into usable rules + usable language.
How it runs
Async-first. A few focused sessions. Built for busy teams.
Pre-work (light lift)
Your side
You fill out a short structured intake (mission, decisions, worries, past tension points, public exposure).
You share anything relevant (values, comms docs, past statements if useful).
Optional (teams 15+): a quick anonymous pulse (5–7 questions) to surface blind spots that don’t always travel upward.
My side
I review everything, mark gaps/contradictions/risk signals, and come in with focus points.
No “discovery theatre”. We start where it matters.
The work
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Seeing clearly before fixing anything.
You getpressure points + contradictions (where things could crack later)
a “misread map” of likely misunderstandings + triggers
the first list of what needs rules (tone, boundaries, decisions)
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Turning principles into do/don’t your team can actually follow.
You getsharpened, usable values (not aspirational wallpaper)
a values → behaviour map (what this means in practice)
trade-off rules for grey areas (what you will/won’t do under pressure)
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A story your team can repeat without you in the room.
You geta clean narrative in plain language (grounded in what you actually do)
messaging anchors your team can reuse across teams
proof-aware wording (so your story doesn’t outrun reality)
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How you sound, and where you draw the line.
You gettone rules for normal days and tense days (without switching personalities)
speak / don’t-speak boundaries for issues, activism and public positions
a simple “how we respond” posture so you’re not deciding in the moment
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The stuff you don’t want to invent live.
You geta first-hour framework (posture + structure + roles)
a holding statement structure + Q&A skeleton
do/don’t rules for the first 24–48 hours (so you don’t create crisis #2)
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Aligning the most visible voice with the brand.
You getguidance on when the founder speaks as the brand (and when they don’t)
boundaries between personal voice and company voice
basic hygiene rules that prevent personal actions becoming brand issues
After the Reputation Setup, your team has:
one shared line inside the company: what you stand for, how you act, how you talk
boundaries for when you speak up (and when you don’t)
faster decisions with less internal debate
a first-hour kit you can grab instead of improvising
a brand that sounds like one brand, even when stressed
Marketing, PR and storytelling get easier after this, because the foundation already holds.
Why it’s worth it
One unprepared moment costs more than this setup.
Not always in money. In momentum. In trust. In focus.
It’s rarely the mistake that does the damage. It’s the wobble after.
If you’d rather not learn this in public, this is the insurance you actually use.
Pricing
The Reputation Setup is a 6-week, all-in system.
No padded hours. No vague consultancy. No “we’ll see how long it takes.”
Setup Core: €6.500
Smaller team, simpler landscape.
Setup Plus: €9.500
More public, more stakeholders, higher sensitivity.
Core vs Plus isn’t about status. It’s about how loud your context is.
After a short intake, I’ll confirm the exact price before we start. No surprises.
Optional add-ons (only if needed)
Not required. Only recommended when it genuinely adds clarity.
Additional stakeholder interviews (for complex stakeholder landscapes)
Team training (90 minutes) (so everyone uses the same rules)
Founder communication audit (if founder voice is a risk surface)
Quarterly check-in (to keep the rules alive)
Who this is for
The Reputation Setup is for brands who want to stay believable before, during and after things wobble.
It’s a strong match if you’re:
a founder/leadership team making decisions in public
a startup/scale-up moving faster than comms can keep up
a B Corp / impact brand working in emotional, political or sensitive spaces
tired of “we’ll figure it out when it happens”
Not for: brand refreshes, PR boosts, glossy purpose exercises, or “make it look good without changing anything.”
Tell me what’s going on, what’s at stake, and your timing.
I’ll tell you if Core or Plus fits (or if you should start smaller).